It will take you 15 minutes (or less) to prepare this textural masterpiece: snappy asparagus, creamy goat cheese, crunchy radishes, and—the star of the show—chewy charred dates. Because dates are full of natural sugars, they caramelize and char quickly in a hot skillet, turning gooey on the inside and crisp on the outside. Our new favorite topping on any plate of vegetables, they make an especially wonderful counterpart to crunchy spring produce.
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Ingredients
4 servings
2
watermelon radishes or 3 red radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½
tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
2
Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
1
bunch asparagus (about 1 lb.), trimmed
1
tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼
tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
8
Medjool dates, pitted, halved lengthwise
3
oz. fresh goat cheese
2
Tbsp. coarsely chopped mint
Preparation
Step 1
Toss radishes, lemon zest and juice, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl; set aside.
Step 2
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Working in batches if needed, cook asparagus in a single layer, undisturbed, until slightly charred underneath, about 2 minutes. Shake pan to turn asparagus and cook, shaking pan occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender and charred in spots, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with black pepper and red pepper flakes; season with salt. Transfer asparagus to a platter.
Step 3
Wipe out skillet. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil over medium. Cook dates, stirring occasionally, until charred in spots and beginning to stick to pan, about 3 minutes.
Step 4
Scatter dates over asparagus, then crumble goat cheese over. Top with mint and reserved radishes, then drizzle with oil and any liquid from radish bowl.
